A Broken Hero
by Inuyashagirl7692
Summary: The Sequel to "How To Break A Hero." Kotetsu suffers from flashbacks and doesn't know how he should move forward.
1. Chapter 1

In the week of Kotetsu's captivity, his face had been all over TV. _WILD TIGER MISSING. HEROES SEARCH FRANTICALY FOR RETIRED COMRADE. _Hero TV had tried conducting interviews with the heroes to generate more views. It didn't end well.

Rock Bison had railed at his interviewers for being insensitive. "Our comrade is missing and all you people care about is your own self... self... Uh, what's the word?" Origami Cyclone could be heard in the background trying to discreetly supply the word. "Yeah! What he said." Barnaby had refused to even show up to the interview. He had said he was too busy but everyone knew he was out looking for Kotetsu. Not that he'd ever admit it. Sky High had tried to get him to stop looking for Tiger-san by himself but Barnaby had simply said that he was going shopping or out for a walk... or walking the dog

he didn't actually have. Blue Rose had gotten that last excuse.

"You don't have a dog"

"I did... You must've scared it away." Blue Rose had pretended to stalk off in a huff but actually stayed to keep an eye on him. _You're not the only one who's worried about him, baka._

Nathan had made so many inappropriate comments towards Kotetsu during his interview that the studio couldn't air it.

"What do I like about Handsome? Well, let's see. I just love his %^&. Oh and his big strong hands. And you know what they say about men with large hands..." He had continued to describe Kotetsu's anatomy with obvious glee. Agnes had been furious.

Despite the heroes protests, cameramen and reporters followed them when they had received an anonymous tip detailing Kotetsu's whereabouts. They had burst into the building, and found far more than they'd been expecting. The house was old and reeked of fear, blood, and sweat. The first body they found was on the first floor. Barnaby assumed the charred corpse was Lunatic's handiwork, and new fear for his partner made him grit his teeth. He called out to the other heroes, "Does anyone smell anything like this coming from any other part of the house?" Ivan and Dragon Kid shouted. They had gone further on towards the back of the house and the smell near a certain door was strong enough to make them gag.

The problem with staircases is that someone has to go first. Barnaby insisted that he go down first. He did his best to sound calm and rational. His Hundred Power was more suited for an underground attack than Sky High's and more controlled than Fire Emblem's. He was also more immune to surprise attacks than the other heroes. In truth, sending him down first made a lot of sense, but the boy's irritated manner and glowing eyes made Sky High uneasy. Still, he agreed. And so, Barnaby was the first to see what had been done to his partner.

Barnaby couldn't smell the burnt flesh through his helmet; nor the coppery reek of stale blood and urine, but he could see it. All of it. A dim flickering light lit up the room; revealing a concrete cellar with no windows. A charred body lay twisted and grotesque across the last step and another, larger, one could be seen a few feet away. In the middle of the room, a bloodstained chair was bolted to the floor. And in the farthest corner from the door, his partner, his ridiculous meddlesome partner, lay beaten and bloody with a small child in his arms.

"Kotetsu!" The moment Barnaby rushed forward, Sky High got a clear view of the room.

"Blue Rose. Origami Cyclone. Go back upstairs and wait with the reporters." Blue Rose protested but Origami Cyclone gently pushed her back up the stairs. Under his breath, he added, "Such a scene was not meant for the eyes of children." He took notice of a broken TV and a bucket of water, filled just enough to drench a person without making to much of a mess. _What on Earth happened here? _Rock Bison shouted for someone to call an ambulance.

Barnaby tried desperately to shake Kotetsu awake. "Come on, Kotetsu! Wake up! Powers or no powers, you're my partner dammit!" Tears welled up in his eyes. A long raspy breath broke the short silence.

"Oi, Bunny-chan, be quiet, would you? I haven't gotten any real shut eye in a while." The girl in his arms stirred. "Bunny, is your visor down?" For some strange reason, Kotetsu refused to open his eyes.

"Yes, why?"

"Keep it down. Don't let this girl see your face. Also, I could really use some water." Barnaby flashed a confused and mildly hurt look at his companions, but rushed to go find a cup and water.

"Aw Handsome, you look terrible!"

"I feel great, though." Rock Bison looked Kotetsu up and down. He had opened his eyes once Barnaby had left. They were bloodshot, teary, and swollen.

"What did they do to you, Kotetsu?" Kotetsu went for a grin but settled for a grimace.

"Nothing I can't handle. Help the girl. She needs it more than I do..." His head lolled to the side, seemingly unconsciousness. Bison looked at his friend and shook his head.

"Damn fool. Acting all cool and then passing out." He gathered both Kotetsu and the girl into his arms and took them to the ambulance.…..

"I want to ride with Handsome, too!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Kaede was alone. Surrounded by fire. Tomoe was alone. Tomoe was dead. He had left them alone. Kaede's face was stained with tears. **Daddy, why did you leave?** I didn't want to. **But you did.** **Why?**_

_I'm a hero.**Liar.**I'm not lying.** You're a murderer... **Kaede's face was replaced by the face of the boy. He was pleading for Kotetsu to save him. He didn't. He let him burn. He was screaming, burning, twisting, and his face... **Barnaby!**_

Kotetsu opened his eyes and forced the dream to end. He was in a hospital bed. IV's were steadily dripping fluids into his veins and a loud beep between short intervals gave voice to his pounding heart. The room was dark. In a panic, Kotetsu tore off the sheets that had constricted around his legs. He tore out the needles that confined him to the bed. The weight of the darkness on his chest was unbearable. The line went flat and nurses came rushing into the room. "Sir, you have to lay down."

"Please turn on the lights. Please. Don't leave me in the dark..." He heard a man beg even as the nurses tried to hold him down. "Please." Suddenly, the lights turned on. Kotetsu looked down to see Alice standing at the door.

"I don't like what happens when the lights turn off either." He felt immensely grateful towards the girl, and after the nurses had gotten Kotetsu situated again. She had come over to his bed, and squeezed his he squeezed hers. Tightly. Like they were the only two people in the whole world who could keep each other from floating off into space.

In the morning, a young doctor explained in very simple terms how Kotetsu had been injured.

"It seems you have multiple rip fractures and a few breaks." _No. Really?_

"There are many lacerations on your back from what seems to be a whip. A few burn marks from what was most like a taser." _I know. I was there when I got them._

"Your face is still swelling from all the hits you took." _And this is where you say you're going to give me medicine to reduce the swelling or ease the pain or something... Right?_

"That looks like it hurts a lot." _&*#$%#!_

"The cuts around your wrists are deep enough that they'll probably need stitches. You could probably use some skin grafts on your back. Your legs will heal just fine, and whatever drug your captors administered to you has long since left your blood stream." From behind the doctor, two large starved green eyes looked at Kotetsu. Would her scars ever heal? Would she ever get back what was taken from her?

"Oi, Doc." The doctor finally looked at Kotetsu. Surprise colored his features. Though not so much surprise at Kotetsu's ability to talk than at his choosing to do so. "I don't need the stitches. I don't need skin grafts. I'll wear my scars with pride. I've grown stronger because of them." He thought he could see a trace of a smile on the girl's face. He wondered how long it had been since she smiled. The doctor followed his gaze and sighed.

"If that girl wasn't here for you to impress, would you still make this decision?"

Kotetsu thought it over, and then proudly concluded, "Probably not." The doctor grinned at his patient's noble stupidity.

"Well then, feel better, Tiger-san." He reached Alice's bed and tipped an imaginary hat. "You too, little princess." A few people rushed into the room just as the doctor was about to open the door. Muramasa noticed how his younger brother's expression had suddenly become defensive and fierce before he recognized who had just run into the room. His back had gone up against the wall just as Alice had tried to bury her way into a corner, but they relaxed upon realizing that these people were not here to hurt them. Kaede's uncle wondered whether it had been a good idea to bring her after all, but before he could do anything; Kaede had already swung her arms around her father and begun crying into his shoulder.

"Daddy, I saw them take you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't stop them."

"Ow ow ow! Kaede! You're alive. You're alive!" He held her out in front of him as if he still couldn't

quite believe it. She wiped her tears away.

"Of course I'm am."

"But there was a fire. It burnt down the dance studio you were in." His brother clarified.

"Kotetsu. Some of the parents had seen a suspicious looking man with a tattoo that they had recognized from Hero TV. They followed him and when they saw him trying to light the place on fire they chased him off." He looked proud of his fellow townsmen. "I heard it was a real big guy too. With hands like meat cleavers." Kotetsu recognized the description.

"I don't think you're going to be hearing from him anymore." The tone was matter of fact, but his eyes were cold. _He was going to kill those children._ _Scum like that deserves to die... Lunatic probably feels the same way._ There was something different about Kotetsu. Something was missing that hadn't been before; replaced by something harder. He would make sure to confront him about it when Kaede wasn't around.

Alice crept out from behind her curtains, and Kotetsu motioned for her to come closer. "Guys, this is Alice. Alice, meet my daughter, Kaede, and my brother, Muramasa. He's cranky because he's old, but don't let that bother you. Underneath he's a biiig-"

"Don't make me hit you when you're injured."

"...jerk." Muramasa rapped Kotetsu on the head. "Ow!" Alice almost giggled and came closer. Kaede gasped but Kotetsu gave her a look that said, "Don't say anything about it." Kaede had it covered though.

"I love your hair. It's so cute! It's like a little pixie cut. I've been thinking of getting my hair cut the same way. What do you think, Daddy?" Kotetsu gritted his teeth. On the one hand he did NOT want his little girl to cut off all of her hair. On the other, he couldn't say that in front of Alice.

"Whatever you want, honey. You know I'm behind you 75% of the way." Kaede and Alice looked confused.

"What's the other 25% for?"

"That's the part of me that's crying on the inside.", he elaborated with a bright, cheery smile. Kaede bust up laughing. Even Muramasa suppressed a smirk, but Alice did not laugh. She didn't make a sound. Even though she was shaking and her eyes were tearing up she didn't laugh. Something occurred to Kotetsu. Most of the sounds he had heard when the lights were off had probably come from her. But when the lights were on, he hadn't heard anything. _"Today we're going to introduce you to your roommate. She's been here for a few days but she was told not to bother you or you know..." A __young girl was dragged into Kotetsu's field of vision. "She'd lose another ear."_ She hadn't been allowed to speak when the lights were on. The thought sickened him, and for a moment he thought he was going to throw up. If she couldn't speak in the light, than why had she-? _She did it for me._It felt strange. To know he had been protected and comforted by a child. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? He reached over and grasped her hand.

"You're safe now. You can laugh if you want to. You can cry if you want to. No ones going to hurt you." He growled, "I'll make sure of it."

"Me too." Kaede piped in. Her Next powers activated for emphasis.

"Show off." Alice began to cry and laugh and hiccup simultaneously. Kaede put her arms around her, and Muramasa ruffled her hair.

"So, is she staying at Mom's house too?" He inquired, already knowing the answer.

"Yep."

…..

A few hours later, Kotetsu's hero friends entered the room with little to no warning and no concept of indoor voices.

"Handsome! Oh, I've missed you so much... What are you two doing?" Just as before, Kotetsu had backed up against the wall and braced himself for an attack. Alice had crawled into a corner. "Oi oi. What's wrong with you guys?" By the time the rest of the heroes had filed in Kotetsu and Alice were still visibly agitated. Their heart monitors were racing. Antonio gave Alice a Get Well balloon and Teddy Bear. Keith gave her two, saying "Get Well. And Get Well."

Kotetsu was still pale. His whole chest was bandaged as well as his wrists and lower legs. Still, bandages were better than wounds. Antonio went to give Kotetsu a pat on the shoulder but he dodged it. It would have been hard not to notice but the other heroes pretended they hadn't seen it.

"Sorry Antonio. My shoulder still hurts." _Sure it does._After that, if someone went to touch Kotetsu, he would stiffen and look pained but he wouldn't move. Alice hid behind her bears. It was Ivan who finally said, "Guys, I think we're crowding them." Once they tried taking turns entering the room, Alice

opened up, and Kotetsu could behave normally, or at least as normally as he was trying to behave. It went really well... until Barnaby showed up.

Kotetsu saw him enter first. _Kaede. Dead. Boy. Burn. Kill. Flames. Screams. Promise. _All the images came flying back when he saw Barnaby's face. He tried closing his eyes but the images kept replaying.

When Alice saw him, she started screaming.

…_.._

Barnabyran from the room. All he had wanted to do was bring them flowers. He hadn't done anything wrong, but Kotetsu... He had never looked at him like that before. His face twisted with fear and pain and rage the moment he saw him. And the girl! She was horrified. She got so pale and then... What was he supposed to do now?

…..

"I think someone should go after him." All eyes went to Kotetsu.

"...I don't think the nurses would be too thrilled if I ripped out my IV's again." Blue Rose was flabberghasted.

"Again?" He shrugged.

"Call it a moment of weakness. Sky High, Bunny looks up to you. He listens to you. You want to try

talking to him?"

"Sure... What should we talk about?"

"Well... uh.." _How he bares a passing resemblance to Alice's older brother; the guy who tortured us? "_I've got nothing."

"How about why you two freaked out when you saw him? That'd probably be a good start." Bison insisted. Kotetsu was starting to feel exhausted.

"... He looks a little like the boy who tortured us. Do you want to tell him that?" Silence filled the room. "No, huh? I didn't think you would."


	3. Chapter 3

_Promise me that you'll always be a hero, no matter what happens._

Kotetsu had this dream almost every night. Just before he could answer her, her body would be engulfed in green flames. The image would crinkle and curl away like a photograph to reveal Alice's brother, writhing in agony. Every night Kotetsu didn't help him. And every night they died together. He was sure that if he saved the boy, the dreams would stop, but to do that, he'd have to forgive him. And so, the boy would burn.

When he woke up, Alice would always be sleeping next to him. When Alice was awake, the lights were off. Kotetsu saw fires dance in the darkness and waited for blows that never came. When she slept, the lights came on.

Sometimes, she would try to pretend she was asleep, just to get him to turn on the lights quicker... It never worked.

…...

Muramasa worried about Kotetsu. He hardly let his guard down. He couldn't stand to sit in a chair for for than 30 seconds. He avoided rooms without windows. He hated the dark. Sometimes it seemed like his little brother was still locked in a hole somewhere. Other times, Kotetsu watched his loved ones like if he took his eyes off them for a second; they would be taken from him. He tried to get Kotetsu to talk at the bar but his brother was stubborn. Finally he said, "If you don't tell me what's going on with you, Kotetsu, you're not welcome in my bar." Without a word, Kotetsu had gotten up and left. He hadn't come back since.

…...

Water from the shower head dripped down Kotetsu's head and back. Fear. It followed him there. Even though he exercised every day to keep his mind busy, every now and then it would inevitably drift back to buckets of cold water and pain. Sometimes his memories seemed closer to reality then the life he was living. Sometimes, he panicked. Thinking that being safe and home was nothing but a happy delusion and soon he'd wake up and find himself bound to a chair. He tried not to stay in the shower for very long.

…...

Kotetsu had adopted Alice soon after their discharge. Muramasa had done most of the paperwork but Kotetsu had signed on for guardianship. She had made an astonishingly fast recovery. One of Kaede's friends had a mom who was a hair stylist. She had offered to fix Alice's hair so that it covered her missing ear, but Alice had refused, saying resolutely, "I'll wear my scars with pride. They've made me stronger, after all." Kaede had to suppress a snicker. It sounded like something her father would say.

Kaede was good to Alice. She helped her try on her clothes and they went shopping together. Sometimes, Muramasa would take them out to ice cream. She was moving forward. Kotetsu could see that. It was about time he did the same.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oi, brother!" Muramasa looked up from his bar to see Kotetsu standing in the doorway. He looked disheveled, like he had just rolled out of bed.

"Oh? You feel like talking now?" Kotetsu sat at the bar and ordered a drink.

"...Does anyone ever come here besides me?"

"Kotetsu..."

"Alright. Alright. Back when I was in the cellar. They showed me newspaper that said Kaede's dance studio had burned to ground."

"They showed you a fake newspaper article?"

"Seems like it." Muramasa shook his head.

"Did you believe it?" Kotetsu's silence was a good enough answer.

"The guy who showed me the article. He was Alice's older brother. He's the one who kept her locked up and forced her to be silent... He looked a little like Barnaby."

"But he wasn't Barnaby." Muramasa said simply. "Barnaby didn't do this to you. He didn't harm that girl. You can't avoid your partner for the rest of your life... Or the dark."

"... I let him die, brother. If anything, I asked Lunatic to kill him. And if he hadn't, I probably would have killed him myself. It went against everything I believed. It went against Tomoe's wishes. But I wanted him to die." Muramasa was silent. The only obvious reaction was that he had stopped polishing his dish and still hadn't put it down. For Kotetsu's brother, that was shaken.

"You killed him?" Kotetsu shrugged and drained his glass.

"Might as well have."

"Do you regret it?"

"I regret letting him think he'd beaten me. Letting him think he'd won. I don't regret letting Lunatic kill him."

"Is that your new hero? Lunatic?"

"What makes you say that?"

"You're starting to remind me a little of him."

"You don't know him."

"I know what he does. Is that what you want to do, Kotetsu?" Did he? Kotetsu wasn't sure. He'd promised Tomoe he'd protect people. Wasn't taking monsters off the streets protecting people? He was pretty sure Tomoe wouldn't have agreed. But he didn't have powers anymore! He wasn't a hero anymore! He'd already broken his promise to her... Hadn't he? "There's always time to go back, Kotetsu. This town doesn't need another lunatic. But I think a tiger who protects the people he loves is something worth fighting for. Not to mention there are two princesses here who would miss Wild Tiger if he were to disappear... Plus mom, your partner, your comrades, your fans..."

"I GET IT!" Kotetsu slammed some money on the counter and made his way to the door before adding, "Thanks, brother." Muramasa allowed himself a small smile.

…...

That night was the first night Kotetsu had slept alone since he had adopted Alice. She was sleeping in Kaede's room and he could almost hear them giggling. It felt good to hear her laugh. Kotetsu turned on the lights and eased down under the covers. The dream started the moment he closed his eyes.

_Promise me that you'll always be a hero, no matter what happens._

Kotetsu watched his wife go up in flames just has she had every night before. Then came the boy. He was screaming and twisting and thrashing like snake. Kotetsu hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done. He probably never would or if he did, it would be a long time from now. But that _didn't_ mean he couldn't save him. Kotetsu reached into the flames and pulled out the flailing figure, only to find himself staring at his own face. His double grinned, "Well, it sure took you long enough! Do you have any idea how much being burned alive _hurts?_" He glanced at Kotetsu's dumbfounded expression. "The answer's a lot... In case you were wondering."

"This is impossible. I was supposed to save the kid, why did I save you?" The double shrugged nonchalantly.

"You weren't supposed to save the kid. You were supposed to save yourself. You _are_ a hero, Kotetsu. Anything else just isn't you." The truth was, Kotetsu's dream double had been watching Kotetsu through the flames, and every time he chose to watch himself burn, he looked more and more like Lunatic. But he didn't think Kotetsu needed to know that. "So, what are you going to do about Barnaby?"

"Barnaby?"

"You know" Dream Kotetsu made bunny ears behind his head. "Boku wa Bunny janai! Barnaby desu." Kotetsu laughed. He sounded a little rusty.

"I'll call him tomorrow... Am I gonna see you again?" His double had started walking out of the room. Towards sunlight and freedom.

"Only if you look in a mirror." Kotetsu woke up to find himself in his room. The lights were on. He got up and turned them off.

_Next Morning_

"What are you doing, Kotetsu?" Muramasa had stepped into the kitchen to see Kotetsu going through _his_ newspaper.

"I'm looking for a job."

"You're still injured."

"I'm practically healed." Kotetsu was always like this. Stubborn and reckless. Muramasa breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Do you think Hero TV would give a job?"

"As what?"

"A teacher at Hero Academy." It wasn't a bad idea. Kotetsu was in great shape, and he was good with kids.

"Are you going to ask for the job now?" Laughter echoed from Kaede's room and Kotetsu smiled.

"Not right now. Those two could still use a tiger around the house, after all."

"Or a father."

"Don't ruin my clever metaphor with specifics, brother!"

"Didn't I think of that?"

"Shut up!"

…...

"Oi Barnaby, I was thinking maybe we could hang out at the mall sometime."

"..."

"There's something I need to tell you."

"..."

"...Um, you don't have a dog."

"..."

"How did the sound of my voice scare it away?"


	5. Alternate Ending

Then the dream started.

It was the same dream he'd had every night since he'd been time, though,Kotetsu did something different. He didn't save the boy. He grabbed the boy's shoulder and let the flames crawl up his arm. For the first time, Kotetsu got a good look at the true face under the flames. All this time it had been his own. Every night he had the dream, he had the chance to save himself, and he had just let himself burn. Tomoe had been trying to save him. _**No, Kotetsu!**_ He knew he hadn't made the "right" choice. The choice to save the boy. He had chosen to die with him, instead. But he also knew that this was the last time he'd ever have this dream. In the morning, he'd call Barnaby and explain everything. He'd spend time with Alice and Kaede. Tease his brother. Give his mom a hug. And then he'd find Ouroboros... And burn them to the ground.

*Author's Note: I didn't use this ending because it seemed out of character for Kotetsu to choose to become either a vigilante or a villain. At least with all of his loved ones still alive. I didn't really delve too much into his interactions with his team, but that was mostly because this is set after Kotetsu has lost his powers. The stories more about the effects of what the last story did to him and how he's going to move forward from there. Therefore, despite the longer story, no action happens. For now, Kotetsu's going to focus on being a good father to Kaede and Alice, before he reconnects with the hero world by becoming a teacher. As for Barnaby... I kind of sent him into a corner didn't I?


End file.
